Don't own Naruto. No copyright. No nothin!

_____Mature Themes!!!!______ This is yaoi, NaruSasu, and can get a little *adult*. If you are offended by any male/male pairings, do not read further. If you are offended by lewd, explicit, or adult themes, do not read further. You have been warned. :D This chapter is quite clean though...

Chapter 4: Dreams and Aspirations

The moment I went back to sleep, I felt a great exhilaration. I had actually kissed Sasuke. No matter that it was just on his hand; no, it was electric even then. I loved it. I didn't care that he was a guy, but I did care a little that it was Sasuke. I mean, he's always been important to me but I always thought that that was because he was the competition. I never considered the fact that I just liked him. The thought had just occurred to me when I suddenly plummeted into my dreams. I was probably tired from the thinking. I didn't do it much, but that doesn't mean that I'm stupid; I just prefer to enjoy the world around me instead of constantly looking into the future as if I wasn't doing something right now.

I was running really fast. I don't know where I am. I jump from tree to tree in hopes of escaping whatever it is that is chasing me. I dare a glance behind me. It is a giant obsidian bird about the size of a big house. I run a little faster in hopes of never getting within the reach of such a massive, crushing, beak. Why did it chase me? I seem to be going nowhere. Whenever I lay my foot on the next branch, it was the exact same branch. Over and over I jump with such ferocity that I knew I was moving. I look behind again and see the raven standing still and yet it isn't moving away into the horizon as I was trying to make it do. Realizing that my efforts were futile, I decided I had to face this thing.

I stopped jumping and turned to face the gargantuan bird. It was a beautiful bird. Majesty was evident on the way it stood there as if there were no higher authority. I recognized this stance but couldn't place where I had seen it before. I was more in awe that fear. It cocked its head toward me and I could tell that it was evaluating me as if I were to be traded at the market or something. It was deciding whether I would fetch a pretty penny. Suddenly two feelings popped into my head.

"No! Don't take me to the place where they'll eat me! I want to live!"

"Yes! I am the best and the strongest subject you have! There is no better!"

Apparently the bird decided that I was to be unworthy of such honor as it was considering. Feeling both relieved and put-off, I continued to stare at the bird, waiting. Suddenly it started to shrink. I was getting perfectly smaller without distortion. It, no, I could tell now – he looked at me calmly like this was normal. It stopped shrinking at human height. He was a little taller than me, but that might have been my imagination. The bird stared at me for what seemed like an hour. I dared not move. I stared back, however uncomfortable it made me. Eventually the bird stepped towards me and spread a large black wing. Soon the wing was wrapped around me. I felt the strangest sensation of comfort and desire.

It was odd having my feelings towards a bird reciprocated. I could tell that the raven liked having its wing around me. I didn't feel parented, but I felt protected. As if I could just go about my life and this raven would watch over me. I liked the way the feathers on his head were arranged. It was as if the bird had intentionally stuck up 4 or 5 feathers in the back to create a wall. It was quite becoming of the bird, but enough of this bird shit. When did I come here, wherever here was? The answer came in a cold realization.

I felt as my body protested to being outside when it was so frigid. I looked up and saw Sasuke, just where I left him before my dreams took me. I could see my breath now and Sasuke looked really cold. I wasn't sure if I should let him in my sleeping bag or just suggest he go to his. Not wanting to seem rude to a sleeping person, I gently shake his shoulder. I feel the warmth of his body defying the cold. He instantly rouses and puts his face on.

"Don't look as if I'm yelling at you. I was just wondering if you were cold and would like to share this sleeping bag." I say as innocently as I can.

"No. I'm fine. Kakashi-sensei shouldn't be long any way." He says without breathing.

"Dude, I can see your breath. It's cold. Get the fuck in here or make a fire," I shouldn't have added that last part.

"Fine." And to my surprise, he moved to get into the sleeping bag. I moved over to let him in and he got in easily enough, but I started to realize just how small this bag was…

"Great idea dobe, now what?" He started scowling at me.

"Well you don't have to lay there like you're tied to a board. At least you could move closer so our heat will warm us both up…" I trail off. I didn't want it to sound like what it was: an invitation to touch me.

Without saying a word, Sasuke moved right on over so that we met right in the middle and our sides were touching. I was immediately happy for my choice to invite him in here. I wasn't wearing a shirt because I never do when I sleep, but Sasuke was fully clothed. I could still feel his body moving as he breathed in the winter air. It was a curious feeling. I knew that was closer to Sasuke than I ever was before. And it didn't surprise me that I thoroughly felt glad to touch him.

Sasuke didn't close his eyes though. I wanted to find out what he thought of the Sakura and Ino.

"Hey Sasuke," I started, quietly, "Why haven't you ever gone after Sakura-chan? She's like all over you. And Ino. She would be more than willing to go out with you. Why don't you see that?"

"Of course I see it. So many girls come on to me all the time. I just never was interested in any of them. I think that none of them are that important to me." Sasuke spoke as if he was fighting to stay awake. This cold air had that effect. It was like the chill impelled you to make like a bear and hibernate.

"Who is important to you?" I asked this, not because I thought I knew the answer, but because I too was too tired to really think about what I was asking.

"I can't say." I wasn't sure if he meant, "I won't say".

"OK….Imma sleep now. This weather is making me really sleepy."

"Me too, dobe…." He added after we both were on the verge of sleeping yet again. I moved onto my side to get more comfortable. I could see Sasuke's eyes fluttering closed. I took a closer look at his face. His nose was perfect. I always thought noses were awkward little things, but Sasuke's looked like it was made to draw your attention to his beauty. I gazed at this beauty and found it to be soothing, like it was something I had been missing. It was nice to have him here.

I woke up to have Sasuke's arm around my waist. We were facing each other on our sides. My drool was pooling on the pillow and my hand was brushing against Sasuke's chin. I looked at him for several minutes, tempted to take some action. Deciding that I had better figure out what I'm out for than to disturb his sleeping majesty, I rolled over to face away from Sasuke. I made sure not to disturb the arm gently lying on my waist.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Kakashi had been up in the tree observing the two boys from afar. He didn't expect anything less than the two rivals to be separated by a mile of hatred and long-brewing tempers. He was surprised to find both of them in the same sleeping bag like it was normal for them to be so close. Kakashi suspected that neither of them knew that in his sleep, Sasuke was holding Naruto. Naruto looked happy…but he was asleep, and he always looked happy. Sasuke had a curious expression. It was that of contentment and a more than a little fear. Maybe, the Jonin thought, he also had a bit of lust in his face.

Despite having come to see if the object that the boys found was the Kuku Berry, Kakashi didn't want to wake them. He figured he could just leave a note or something after he decided if the mission was completed or not. After deciding that the boys looked strangely good together, he jumped down to examine the big ass grape. Kakashi had never really seen the berry before, but he knew its general outlines. The problem was, it appeared different to different people. Kakashi was looking at a boulder-sized, perfectly spherical red berry. The red reminded this spiky-haired ninja of blood. Shaking the morbid thoughts that sprung to his mind, Kakashi gingerly touched the berry. It responded with no movement and no sounds.

It was very large, and it was very round. Kakashi could only remember one other aspect of the berry: it could roll uphill on its own. Trying to figure out how to test this part, Kakashi started pushing and pushing on the giant blood ball. He couldn't even feel it wobble. He tested some artful moves on the berry to no avail. He saw that the berry was rooted to the ground with little wiry bits of green. It looked like a plant, but also at the same time, it looked like tiny tentacles.

Using his sharp mind, Kakashi came to the conclusion that the boys had only found the berry but had not yet picked it. Unfortunately for him, Kakashi couldn't do anything about the picking as it was the two boys that had found it. He had to instruct Sasuke and Naruto on how to pick it. He could do no more than that. He looked back over at the sleeping figures now very close to each other. They were a fair bit down the hill now. Deciding to put them somewhere a little better suited to sleeping, he picked up the cuddling pair as quietly and smoothly as he could, which was quite smooth and quiet.

He rested them on a much flatter part of the terrain. He watched as Naruto scooted back to press against Sasuke's chest. Sasuke didn't do anything but sleep on. It was getting colder outside. Kakashi could tell that Naruto was simply responding to the heat from Sasuke, but he couldn't help but think of the sleeping couple as more than rivals to each other. Looking back over at the berry, he saw a flash of red and a felt a short burst of rumbling in the ground. The berry had moved uphill! How that was even possible was a mystery to the Copy Ninja, but he took it to mean that Sasuke and Naruto had found the right berry. In fact, he didn't really know how to pick the berry. All he knew was that you had to "find the catalyst within".

He knew that he could give no instruction to the young boys about this mission. Resolutely, he wrote them a note saying that they had, indeed, found the berry. They were expected to bring it back to the village tomorrow. Wishing them luck, Kakashi darted into the trees to return to Sakura to look for their own berry, as there were many in these forests.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Hearing the shuffle of feet, I woke up from my sleep. I could not explain my persistent sleepiness today. I had gotten enough sleep, but I always needed more. Usually this only happened when I was sick or injured. I was determined not to let Sasuke think that I was lazy. I sprung out of bed to realize that Sasuke was already up and examining the berry.

"We're sleeping uphill from where we were earlier. The berry followed us. Kakashi-sensei left a note. Read it." Sasuke was sounding, as per usual, monotone and uninterested.

"Well it's good that we have the right berry, I guess…" I said after reading the note.

"Yes, but we still have no idea what catalyst is needed," Sasuke pointed out.

"But we know we're not wasting time on some retarded looking boulder." I said jokingly. I didn't like being so serious and businesslike all the time. Sometimes, Sasuke can be a bit of a downer.

"Yes. But unless you have an idea, which I doubt, we should stop talking and start thinking of some." I had an idea, but I didn't want to tell Sasuke. He would be the last person that this idea would appeal to. This wasn't a fairytale, you don't kiss things and they magically do something. Kissing this berry wouldn't do anything but embarrass me.

"Fine," I said as if I agreed that I had no ideas. Now several were popping in my head; each as unlikely as the last. Finally I gave up with any reasonable guess.

"What if we urge it with our minds? I mean, it's within, and maybe the catalyst is thought." I didn't think he would buy this at all, but his response surprised me.

"I've tried." He didn't sound as if he was happy to admit it.

"We could try kissing the damn thing. Maybe it'll grown wings and fly us out of here and back home!" I suggested with full sarcasm on, making sure he didn't think I was serious, when in fact I wasn't really sure.

"You first," Sasuke said matter-of-factly. Alarmed at his seriousness, I approached the Kuku full of anticipated embarrassment. I stood about a foot away from the daunting sphere, hesitating. I bent a little, stepped forward, and rested my hands on the ball. My face was so close to the berry that I thought I could taste it. Now I wanted to taste it. It was a berry after all! I could pass this off as a mere taste, no kiss, no embarrassment!

"I'm just going to taste it," I told the now frowning Uchiha. I bent further down and licked the berry. To my dismay, it was tasteless…nothing like grapes. "Tastes like air," I said.

"You didn't kiss it," the dark-haired boy said plainly.

"Why don't you, if it's gonna work?" I wanted to see Sasuke kiss something, knowing full well that it would only excite me. Sasuke only scoffed at my obvious egging and moved right up to the sphere. He bent down in that stupid provocative way and pursed his lips together and kissed the ball. Watching in shock, I couldn't say a word. It was exciting to see Sasuke kiss something even as stupid as the Kuku.

Suddenly, just as Sasuke separated from the ball, it bounced high in the air. It soared over the treetops. I just stood there, rooted, watching. The berry didn't move anyway but vertically. It landed just as if it hadn't even moved at all. Sasuke had jumped back already in fear of this giant, heavy, death-ball.

We both just looked at the berry in astonishment. Then I looked at Sasuke. He was touching his lips as if they were holding some mysterious power. Subconsciously, I wondered too if I could kiss those lips and soar as high as the berry had.

"You try this time," was all Sasuke could say. Without hesitation this time, I got closer to the grape, in the same place as it was last time. I reached it and bent to kiss it. When my lips touched the Kuku berry, I didn't feel anything. Then as I attempted to remove my lips, they were glued on. A streak of panic crossed my face until I realized that I had not really moved at all. In fact, I was closer to the berry than before, kissing this thing as if it was a lover. Part of me was scared by my lack of control, but the other part said that I could rationalize this as a way to outdo Sasuke. My kiss was going to be way hotter damn it!

"Stop making out with it and come away," Sasuke demanded. Complying, the second my lips left the berry in a grin, the ball shot up into the sky. We didn't see the ball for about 10 seconds before it came crashing back through the leaves above and landed with a thud on the indented earth where it was before. Looking at Sasuke with a smug grin, I said, "Top that!"


Well I would really like reviews because I have no idea if I'm writing shit or not. And tell me if the format is too dense, cuz i think it might be, but i can't know unless people tell me D:

Title: Dreams means both the sleep dreams and the goals. The pair aspire to getting this berry home i guess...not really a strong wordplay methinks.